Only in Nelson

To the outside world, the town of Nelson, British Columbia - population 10,572, situated equidistant between Vancouver, British Columbia and Calgary, Alberta - is comprised solely of pot-smoking hippies, artists and/or US draft dodgers. While they do comprise a large proportion of the population, there are equally a number who would be considered more traditionally conservative and/or right wing among its citizens, both born and bred Nelsonites as well as those flocking to the city, often as a desirable place to retire. The one thing that binds them all together is a libertarian spirit, where everyone wants to be free to live their own utopia. But when a local political decision supports one of those utopias, it will be another citizen's hell. When in 2018 a murder occurs in the town's beloved downtown core with sitting city council taking a specific action as a reaction is thrown into this mix along with the legalization and associated regulation of the pot industry in Canada, the result is an unprecedented civic election not only in the numbers running (three mayoral candidates, and twenty-one council candidates for six seats), but also the fact that a party formed to run a slate of candidates, and a large number of candidates stated that they had never considered running until the specifics of this current time period. Beyond the process of the election campaigns where most candidates vowed not to run a nasty one despite the stark differences, a handful of Nelsonites are profiled in displaying the vast array of the citizenry and how the outcome of the election will affect them in personal and holistic ways.